PULSE A MANTRA YOU CAN MOVE TO.

Byline: Mariko Thompson

Every so often, chanting comes back in vogue. Ten years ago, the Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey Monks' Choir filled the airwaves with Gregorian chants. These days, chanting has taken on a Sanskrit flavor.

Piggybacking on the interest in yoga and meditation, the mantra has been set to music. Mantra Girl, fronted by vocalist and yoga instructor Erin Kamler, left, has released a new DVD that combines Kundalini yoga with mantra music from their ``Truth'' CD. Donna De Lory, right, a back-up singer for Madonna, also brings a modern twist to ancient Indian mantras on her latest release, ``The Lover and the Beloved.''

In ``An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga and Chanting'' (Mantra Girl Lifestyles; $19.95), Kamler leads viewers through chanting meditations and the slow-paced, repetitive movements of Kundalini yoga. The Los Angeles-based Kamler and her band of midriff-baring yogis circle, fold and chug the breath of fire in the presence of Malibu's palm trees and oceans.

For the same calming effect without the visuals, download tracks from ``Truth'' or purchase the CD at mantragirl.com. The spiritual chants are backed by cool electronic dance rhythms, ethnic flutes and even the New York Philharmonic string section. Listen to ``Gobinday'' to spark creativity and ``Wah Yantee'' to find your inner guru.

De Lory's ``The Lover and the Beloved'' (Ajna Music; $16.99) also fuses Eastern and Western sounds, combining traditional Indian instruments such as the harmonium and sitar with keyboards, acoustic guitar and cello. The CD's title comes from the fifth track, ``Govinda Jaya Jaya,'' the celebratory song that led De Lory to do an entire album of mantra. Her hypnotic vocals are just the thing to soothe jangled nerves on that long commute home. For more information, visit www.ajnamusic.com.

UNDERSTANDING AUTISM: Autism has become the fastest-growing developmental disability in America. While there's no way to cure autism or conduct prenatal screenings for the disorder, studies show that with early intervention efforts, most children improve, say Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik, authors of ``Overcoming Autism'' (Viking; $24.95). Koegel founded the Autism Research Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. LaZebnik is the parent of a child diagnosed with autism. The authors start from the point of diagnosis and organize the book by symptoms, including communication issues, repetitive behaviors and disruptive behaviors. The interventions are based on the ``pivotal response'' methods developed at Koegel's research center. With autism spectrum disorders, there are still many unknowns. The good news is there are also concrete strategies for improvement.

ON THE BALL: Mix muscle tension, poor breathing and stress together and you get the cycle of pain. Former dancer Elaine Petrone has developed a method to break the cycle by using two grapefruit-size balls, deep breathing and gravity. In ``The Miracle Ball Method'' (Workman Publishing; $24.95), she illustrates exercises to relieve pain and tension in the head, neck, shoulders, back, hips and feet. The kit comes with a book and two balls. Petrone's ball therapy has been used on patients at the rehabilitation center at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. While miraculous may be too strong a word, unknotting those tense muscles is nothing short of heavenly.

ALLERGY FREE ZONE: It can be hard enough to plan a menu that the whole family enjoys. Then throw food allergies into the mix and cooking becomes even more complicated. In ``The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook'' (Fair Winds Press; $14.95), Leslie Hammond designs recipes for all kinds of special dietary needs without obscure or unappetizing substitutions. Hammond offers more than 150 recipes with variations to accommodate kids who can't eat wheat, gluten, dairy, nuts or eggs. The recipes also are low in sugar. There's a gluten-free mock Top Ramen soup, a crustless spinach and cheese quiche, vegan cookies using rice flour and a wheat-free chocolate cake. As Hammond demonstrates, having a food allergy doesn't have to take the joy out of eating.

CANCER PREVENTION: Oncologists will speak on colorectal cancer prevention and treatment at a free seminar at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center today at 6:30 p.m. More than 147,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States. Through preventive screenings and early detection, more than 90 percent of patients with localized colorectal cancer survive five years after diagnosis. For more information, call [phone].

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7 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) Erin Kamler

(3 -- 4) Donna De Lory

(5) no caption (book: ``Overcoming Autism'')

(6) no caption (book: ``The Miracle Ball Method'')

(7) no caption (book: ``The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook'')